Coin collector apparatus



j 'i8, 1940. D. G. BLATTNER 2204'747 COIN COLLECTOR APPARATUS Filed Aug. 6, 1938 2 sheets sheet 1 lNl ENTOR By D. GBLATTNER ATTORNEY Patented June 18, 1940 COIN COLLECTOR APPARATUS David G. Blattner, Mountain Lakes, N. J., as-

signor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application August 6, 1938, Serial No. 223,401

Claims.

This invention relates to coin collector apparatus and more particularly to a moving coil operated coin collector system for telephone pay stations. 4

The invention'is particularly suitable for use in a telephone pay station of the type illustrated in the O. F. Forsberg U. S. Patent 1,043,219, issued November 5, 1912, wherein a deposited coin is temporarily held upon a pivoted coin trap after the coin has actuated a trigger to close electrical contacts for the purpose of signaling the central office and for the additional purpose of establishing an energizing circuit fora'coin relay. At the termination of the conversation battery at the central oil-Ice may be applied to energize the coin relay whereby the actuation of its armature serves to collect the coin if the applied voltage is of one polarity and to refund the coin if the applied voltage is of the opposite polarity. The coin trap upon which the coin is temporarily held may be supported by a pivoted coin vane controlled by the relay to release the trap and direct the coin into the desired collect or refund channel. The operation of the relay also serves to restore the coin trigger to normal thereby reopening the electrical contacts controlled thereby.

An object of this invention is to simplify the construction and cost of manufacture of the coin relay and associated switching mechanism while providing for efiicient operation over a wide variation in energizing current and load.

In accordance with the preferred form of this invention the coin relay comprises a coil rotatable in the field of a permanent magnet. A coin trigger when actuated by a deposited coin serves to establish a circuit through this coil whereby the coil is rotated in one direction for an applied voltage of one polarity and rotated in the opposite direction for voltage of the opposite polarity. This coil may be mechanically coupled to the coin vane in the hopper whereby the rotation of the coil serves to deflect the vane and release the coins resting upon the coin trap. The actuation of the coin vane may serve to restore the coin trigger to normal so that the energizing circuit icr the rotatable coil will be broken when the rotatable coil is subsequently restored to normal due to the disconnection of the source of voltage from the coil. Certain features ofthe present invention are described and claimed in my divisional application Serial No. 307,742, filed December 6, 1939, entitled Coin collector apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, I Fig. 11s a View partly in section of the central portion of a telephone coin collector embodying this invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged front view of the coin controlling apparatus of this invention involving a coin relay of the moving coil type;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the apparatus of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a view in perspective of the contact controlling lever employed in the apparatus of Figs. 2 and 3;

Figs. 5 to 9 illustrate how certain electrical contacts of the collector are jointly controlled by coin deposit and by the actuation of the coin relay; and

Fig. 10 is a circuit diagram of a telephone coin collector substation embodying this invention.

Fig. 1 shows only a portion of a telephone coin collector of the general type disclosed in the above-mentioned Forsberg patent to which reference is made for further details as to its general construction and method of operation. 7 A coin deposited by a subscriber after passage through a coin chute it within housing ll drops into a coin hopper l2, actuates a coin trigger I3 and is temporarily retained upon a pivoted coin trap M. The present invention is concerned with the manner in which the coin actuation of the coin trigger l3 serves'to. signal the central office that a coin has been deposited, and the invention is also concerned with the apparatus within the coin collector whereby the deposited coin may be collected orrefunded depending upon whether the desired connection has been obtained.

Suitably mounted upon a bracket l5 adjacent the coin hopper I2 are a pair of electrical contact springs Ni, ii and an upwardly tensioned biasing spring member It. The normal position of thethree springs l6, l1 and I8 and coin trigger I 3 is illustrated in Fig. 5. Contact springs it, I! are normally open and the biasing spring 58 is normally restrained from closing these contacts by reason of the fact that spring l8 'normally rests against the downwardly extending shoulder IQ of' the coin trigger. However, as soon as trigger i3 is coin actuated, causing a counterclockwise movement of the trigger as trigger in its actuated position. Also spring I 8 after its upward movement has been completed I viewed in Figs; 1' and 3, shoulder I9 is removed occupies a position (Figs. 6 and 7) lying in the path of shoulder 19 and blocking the return of shoulder l9 to its normal position, so that counterweight 2| will be unable to restore coin trigger I3 to normal until spring IB has again been depressed. As in the Forsberg patent the closing of contacts l6, l1 serves to signal the central ofiice that a connection is desired.

The closure of contacts I6 and I! also serves to establish an energizing circuit for a coin relay to be utilized in disposing of the deposited coin. Mounted upon a tray 22 suitably supported by the lower housing 23 of the collector is a core 2! of magnetic material positioned between two pole-pieces 25, 26 to which a permanent magnet 24 is attached. In the air-gap between core 2'! and the pole-pieces 25, 26 is a coil 28 comprising a plurality of turns of wire wound on a suitable form 28', one side of coil form 28 being rigidly attached to a rotatable shaft 29 while the other side of the coil form 28 has a pin 30 rotatable in a suitable bearing 3|. The cylindrical core 21 is supported between the polepieces by suitably formed strips of insulating material 32, 33 joining the pole-pieces and the core in such a manner as to not interfere with the rotatable movement of coil 28.

Shaft 29 passes through side wall 34 of the coin hopper and is rigidly fastened to the lower end of the coin vane 35 which normally lies in a vertical position supporting the coin trap [4 (Fig. 3). Since vane 35 and coil 23 are rigidly attached to shaft 29 it will be obvious from Fig. 3 that the clockwise or counter-clockwise movement of coil 28 will cause a similar rotative movement of vane 35. In order to maintain coil 28 and vane 35 in their normal positions a pair of horizontally disposed spring members 36, 3! are mounted on the hopper side wall 34 and their free ends are tensioned against a stop 40. Spaced between the free ends of springs 36, 3'! is a roller 38 carried on an arm 39 fastened to shaft 29. Spring members 35, 31 pressing against roller 38 serve to bias vane 35 and coil 28 to their normal positions and also serve to restore vane 35 and coil 28 to their normal positions after they have been subjected to a clockwise or counter-clockwise movement by the connection of a source of voltage to coil 28.

When current of a suitable voltage is applied to coil 28 it is obvious that the coil will rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise depending upon the polarity of the applied voltage and vane 35 in rotating with coil 28 will release coin trap l4 and direct the coins resting thereon either into a refund chute or a collect chute as determined by the direction in which coil 28 is moved.

Vane 35 near its upper free end has a pin 4i projecting through an arcuate slot 42 in the hopper side wall for engagement with the forked end 43 of a lever Mi pivoted about an axis 45. The upper end of lever 44 has an arcuate-shaped extension 46, the ends 4?, 48 of which are considerably wider than the center portion thereof as shown in Fig. 4. The arcuate-shaped extension 46 preferably has a radius of curvature substantially less than the distance between portion 46 and axis 45 for a purpose to be explained later. The insulating roller 20 on the horizontal end portion of spring l8 lies directly above axis 45 and extends in a direction away from hopper! l2 2. distance sufficient that its free end lies beneath arcuate portion 45 but normally not in contact therewith. Contact springs l5 and I! pass over arm 4'. of member 46 and the lower spring I'l extends substantially beyond the center of the arcuate portion 46. Normally, however, springs l6 and I! do not contact either with arm 41 or arcuate portion 46.

The normal position of lever M is shown in Fig. 5. When the coin trigger I3 is actuated by a deposited coin, biasing spring 18 is freed of shoulder 15 and moves upwardly until its roller 23 strikes the under surface of arcuate portion 46 as shown in Figs. 6 and '7; and as previously described, biasing member [8 in moving upwardly carries spring I! with it to close the electrical contacts carried by springs I6 and H.

In the movement of lever 44 from its position of Fig. 5 to its actuated position of Fig. 8 due to the application, say, of refund current to coil 28, roller 28 will remain in contact with the under surface of arcuate portion 45 and will consequently cause the lowering of spring member I8 since either end of arcuate portion 46 is closer to the pivoting axis 45 than its central portion. The depression of biasing member l8 caused by the rotating movement of lever 44 to its position of Fig. 8 is sufficient to bring biasing member l8 below the lower end of shoulder l3 and permit coin trigger l3 to be restored to normal due to its counterweight 2|. Also, the movement of lever 44 from its position of Fig. 6 to its position of Fig. 8 will cause arm 41 to push against the lower surface of spring I! and maintain contacts l6, ll closed as long as lever 44 is in its position of Fig. 8 even though the coin trigger I3 is returned to its normal position. The arrangement described insures that after the actuation of trigger E3 to release biasingspring l8, contacts 16, I! will remain closed until the removal of central ofiice battery permits coil 28 and lever 44 to return to neutral position.

When the energizing current for coil 28 is disconnected the defiected one of the restoring springs 36, 3'! will exert sufficient pressure to bring coil 28 and vane 35 back to their normal positions, thereby restoring trap M to its horizontal position and restoring lever 44 to its vertical position whereby contacts l6 and I] will reopen since arm 4'! no longer exerts upward pressure on spring I! and biasing member i8 is restrained from closing the contacts due to trigger shoulder IS.

The position of lever 44 shown in Fig. 8 is in c its maximum clockwise position resulting from the movement of coil 28 and vane 35 until pin 4| strikes end 53 of slot 42, due to the application of refund current to coil 28. With vane 35 in its position shown in Fig. 8 it is obvious that any -t coins on trap M will be discharged into the refund chute 58 from which the coins may be recovered by the user of the instrument.

When collect current is applied to coil 28, coil 28 and vane 35 will rotate in the opposite direction until pin l? strikes end 5| of slot 52 thereby causing lever 44 to assume a counter-clockwise position as shown in Fig. 9 where arm 48, instead of arm 41 serves to maintain contacts l6, I! closed as long as lever M remains in its actuated position. With vane 35 in the position. shown in Fig. 9 it is obvious that any coins lying on trap 14 will be discharged into collect chute 59.

The leads from coil 28 may be taken from points near the coil axis and connected to suitable terminals 55, 56 by means of which coil 28 may be connected into the substation circuit in the proper manner. Fig. 10 shows a standard coin collector substation circuit modified to include the coin. collecting apparatus of this invention. It is obvious from Fig. that when contacts I6, I! are closed by coin deposit the movable coil 28 will be connected between ground and one side 51 of the telephone line so that the relay will be actuated when apparatus at the central office is operated to apply collect current or refund current to conductor 5'5.

While in the above description of the relay, member 24 has been described as a permanent magnet, it is obvious that if desired core 2? may be a permanent magnet with members 24, 25 and 26 constituting the return path for the magnetic flux. It will also be obvious that permanent magnet 24 may be replaced if desired by an electromagnet.

What is claimed is:

1. A telephone coin collector comprising a coin hopper, means in said hopper for controlling the disposition of coins deposited in said hopper, means for producing a magnetic potential, a coil adapted to be traversed by an electrical current and mounted in the field of said means for rotative movement in a direction dependent upon the direction of applied current, means for biasing said coil to a normal position, and means coupled to said coil for actuating said controlling means.

2. A telephone coin collector comprising a coin hopper, a coin trap in said hopper for receiving deposited coins, means for producing a magnetic potential, a movable coil, a support for positioning said means Within said coil, a support for rotatably supporting said coil on an axis passing through the coil, a return path of magnetic material external to said coil, and means controlled by said coil for controlling said trap.

3. A telephone coin collector comprising a coin hopper, a rotatable shaft, a coin vane in said hopper mounted on said shaft for rotative move ment about said shaft as an axis, a coil adapted to be traversed by an electric current, a support for said coil mounted on said shaft, and means for producing a magnetic potential, said coil being positioned in the field of said means whereby said coil, said vane and said shaft are rotatable in a direction dependent upon the direction of the current traversing said coil.

4. A telephone coin collector comprising a coin hopper, a coin trap in said hopper normally held in position to receive deposited coins, a perrnanent magnet, a coil adapted to be traversed by an electrical current and mounted in the field of said magnet for movement about a fixed axis in a direction dependent upon the direction of the applied current, means for biasing said coil to a normal position, and means coupled to said coil for controlling said trap.

5. A telephone coin collector comprising a coin hopper, a coin trap in said hopper normally held in position to receive deposited coins, a perms-- nent magnet, a coil adapted to be traversed by an electrical current, said coilbeing mounted in the field of said magnet for rotative movement about a fixed axis passing through said coil whereby said coil is rotated in a direction dependent upon the direction of the applied current, and means coupled to said coil for controlling said trap.

DAVID G. BLATTNER. 

